The U.S. Dietary Guidelines tell you how to eat, with fruits and vegetables accounting for half of each meal In 2011, the U.S. government launched its latest dietary guidelines, scrapping the decades-old “Dietary Pyramid” and replacing it with the latest “My Plate. Compared to the “dietary pyramid,” the “plate” is more explicit about the proportion of various types of food in a meal, with fruits and vegetables accounting for half of a meal and protein being the smallest part of the “plate. The smallest part of the “plate”. This American “plate” is not new, and even some “imitation” of our usual meal structure. Shen Su’e, Department of Physical Therapy, Nanjing 454 Hospital, PLA “Plate” replaces “Pyramid” This “My Plate” by U.S. First Lady Michelle and Agriculture Secretary Vilsack The nutritional diagram replaces the previous “food pyramid” to make it easier to promote healthy diets to the public. For the general public, this “plate” is obviously easier to understand. We can see in the “plate” nutrition diagram, in which the four types of food, the left two pieces are fruits and vegetables, the right side are cereals (carbohydrates) and protein. Here we need to emphasize that more than half of the cereals should be “whole grains”, while the protein is mainly lean meat. In addition, there is a small plate at the top right of the plate, which means that you should also consume one cup of low-fat or skim dairy products every day. Vegetables and cereals make up the largest portion of each meal, and vegetables and fruits together should make up half of the daily diet. Why would the original “dietary pyramid” be eliminated? The “dietary pyramid”, first introduced in 1992, contains different categories of foods such as grains, vegetables, fruits, fats, dairy products, meat and legumes, etc. Foods at the bottom of the pyramid should be consumed more and those at the top should be eaten less. However, due to the complexity of the chart and the lack of specificity in the amount needed, it has been criticized by experts for many years; in contrast, the “My Plate” is much clearer. “Although My Plate tells people what to eat and how much to eat in a simple and straightforward way, it is not suitable for all people. My Plate” recommends that people try to eat a balanced diet and avoid excessive protein while avoiding excessive calories; eat more “good food”, let fruits and vegetables fill half of the plate, and replace whole milk with skim or low-fat milk; eat less “bad food “, choose low sodium salt, use white water instead of sugary drinks and other healthy ways. However, this “plate” still has a suitable for people. “This plate is only suitable for normal people between the ages of 5 and 59.” If you are too young or too old, you need to adjust the proportion of food in the plate accordingly. The reason for this is that children under 5 years of age, who are in a period of growth and development, need relatively more protein at this time, so the proportion of protein can be increased appropriately. The elderly over 60 years old may suffer from malnutrition due to physical reasons, and need to take some nutrient supplements appropriately. In addition, the elderly food needs to be fluffy and well absorbed, so the ratio of coarse to fine should also be adjusted. The “dinner plate” is responsible for preventing obesity. The release of “My Plate” is also an important part of the obesity prevention campaign launched by U.S. First Lady Michelle. As the previous American diet structure in the protein content is high, which is also caused by the high rate of obesity in the United States, so you can see that the “plate” in the proportion of protein is almost the smallest. In addition, through the “plate” icon can clearly see that fruits and vegetables should account for half of a meal, protein is the smallest part of the “plate”. Although the proportion of “grains” in the “plate” is relatively large, but at least half of them should be whole grains, which is often referred to as coarse grains. “You should not eat only white rice, white bread and other less healthy refined grains.” The total amount of protein a normal person’s body needs is about 8 to 10 percent of total calories, and most people tend to overeat. If we consume more protein than we need, cholesterol in the blood rises, arteries harden, and the likelihood of heart disease increases. At the same time, the acids produced allow calcium to be lost from the bones, leading to cancer growth. Therefore, a balanced diet is vital to human health. What about the dietary guidelines for the Chinese? The dietary guidelines that the Chinese are now implementing are actually similar to “My Plate”. According to the guidelines, under normal circumstances, Chinese people should consume 200 grams of fruit, 200 grams of protein, 300 grams of dairy products, 300 to 500 grams of vegetables, and 250 to 400 grams of grains, half of which should be coarse grains. Thus, it can be seen that the American “My Plate” is quite a bit of imitation of our dietary structure.